Jin was in the research laboratory aboard the Adriana, analyzing the ore samples sent over from Alpha.
"Right, as I suspected... there’s something different about this."
The specimen was chalcopyrite, a primary ore of copper. With its golden luster, it was often mistaken for gold by amateurs, much like pyrite.
Distinguishing them was simple enough. One only had to rub the mineral against a "streak plate"—a piece of unglazed white porcelain. Real gold would leave a golden mark; chalcopyrite left a greenish-black streak, while pyrite left a purely black one.
Setting the basics aside, Jin focused on the analysis. According to his Analyze spell, the chalcopyrite was composed of copper, iron, and sulfur. The copper content was approximately thirty-five percent.
In a natural setting, pure chalcopyrite was rare; it was usually interspersed with other rock, typically bringing the total copper yield of a bulk sample down to about zero point five percent. However, this particular ore was exceptional, yielding nearly two percent copper overall.
"But... there's a strange sense of incongruity here. Analyze... Wait, this is...?"
A second, deeper analysis revealed that the copper within the ore had been altered at a fundamental level.
"Extraction."
To confirm his suspicions, Jin isolated the metal. From roughly ten kilograms of chalcopyrite, he produced a two-hundred-gram lump of copper. It was ultra-high-purity, oxygen-free copper.
"Is the copper itself different? Analyze... Hmm. Could it be...?"
"Father, did you find something?" Reiko asked. She had been busy tidying up the slag—the mineral refuse—left over after the extraction.
"Yeah. It’s hard to describe... It’s as if this copper has become to regular copper what mithril is to silver."
"Are you saying it is 'mithril-copper'?"
"I’m not sure about that name, but that’s the general idea."
Jin explained that it wasn't merely copper anymore; its reaction to mana was higher by several orders of magnitude.
"Standard copper usually doesn't have such a high affinity for free ether, unlike silver."
Jin thought of Saki. If she were here, she would likely be diving into this research with manic glee. He felt a brief pang of nostalgia for his friend's perspective.
"I wonder if all the copper in high-ether regions turns out like this, or if there are specific conditions required for the change...?"
One question answered only led to another.
"In that case, I wonder about the iron... Extraction."
Jin pulled the iron from the remaining slag, producing an ingot weighing about one hundred and seventy grams.
"Hmm, high-quality steel."
Iron's properties were generally more susceptible to change based on impurities than copper. What he held now was pure iron, essentially oxygen-free iron.
"Is this also like mithril? Analyze... I thought so."
This iron also possessed an incredibly high affinity for free ether.
"Most likely, some of the neutrons have been replaced by magi-particles," Jin surmised. If the material shared the same fundamental properties as mithril, it was the only logical explanation.
"I'll figure out the applications eventually. More importantly..."
Jin considered the implications. If every metal produced on satellite Alpha possessed these properties, it might actually make them difficult to use for standard purposes. A high affinity for free ether meant an excellent shielding effect and a high degree of potential reinforcement through magi-craft.
"I was just looking for materials with a high shielding effect... and they ended up falling into my lap from the most unexpected place."
That was certainly a reason to celebrate.
"Father, I have a question," Reiko interjected.
"What is it, Reiko?"
"If all the ores in a high-concentration free ether zone possess these properties, what will happen if they are moved to a normal environment?"
"I see..."
She was asking if they would eventually revert to ordinary materials. If they did, it raised the question of how long that degradation would take. Mithril was stable, but they couldn't assume every other element would behave the same way.
"For now, it might be best to smelt whatever we need as quickly as possible."
Jin suspected that the smelting process might "fix" the high ether affinity in place, preventing it from dissipating.
"Let’s start the refining process now."
Cosmos units 551 through 600, currently on Alpha, were capable of using magi-craft. He would have them secure the materials and transport them back via the Warp Gate.
"If we need more hands, I can call the Smiths over from Hourai Island as well."
As he spoke, a report arrived: the guard ships Sirius, Procyon, and Betelgeuse had returned.
[They have completed their preliminary survey.]
They hadn't measured the entire high-ether zone, of course—only the local area centered on Zipart. However, they had gathered enough data to infer that the zone was likely a massive sphere.
"I'm curious to see if this area is expanding or contracting..."
If it were expanding, Jin needed to know immediately, as it would eventually reach the orbits of Ars and Hale.
"It’s a lot to ask, but I want those three ships to continue their observations. Let's start with a one-year mission."
Jin figured a year would be enough to identify a trend, even allowing for margins of error.
[Understood. I shall relay the orders accordingly.]
Though the ships had been built at the lunar facility Uni by Jack, they were under Jin's command. Taisei would issue the orders to the ships as "The Lord's instructions."
Thus, the Sirius, Procyon, and Betelgeuse took up positions between Hale and Star Celane, beginning their year-long vigil to monitor the boundaries of the high-concentration free ether zone.
Meanwhile, acting on Jin's orders, the refining of materials began in earnest on satellite Alpha.
Gold, silver, copper, iron, zinc, tin, lead, light silver (titanium), aluminum, mithril, and adamantite were smelted in rapid succession and sent through the Warp Gate.
From the Adriana, these materials were forwarded to the east coast of Hale, the region where Jin intended to eventually build a permanent base. It was also currently the only place on Hale with a functioning Warp Gate. He planned to eventually establish a proper storage site in the "Central Basin" (provisional name).
During the process, Jin examined samples of the gold and silver, confirming that they too had developed an extreme affinity for free ether.
"Gold, silver, zinc, tin... even the adamantite. It’s a universal phenomenon. How fascinating."
High affinity meant high efficiency for magical reinforcement and a powerful shielding effect.
"Hyper adamantite made from this specific adamantite... it will likely be the strongest, hardest metal in the known world."
Jin quietly resolved to use this new material to remake Reiko's skeleton in the near future.
"The magical conductivity of the copper is incredible, too. It’s on par with standard mithril."
The affinity for free ether seemed to have increased across the board with no exceptions.
"In addition to 'Magi' and 'Hyper' grades, we have a third class of high-performance materials. Perhaps I should call them 'Ether' materials, using the English pronunciation."
In English, "Ether" (or "Aether") suggested something omnipresent.
"Ether Gold, Ether Iron, Ether Adamantite... like that?" Reiko asked, testing the names.
"Hmm... Hearing it out loud, it sounds a bit clunky. A bit unnatural. Let's scrap the English-style naming."
Though he had suggested it himself, Jin immediately walked it back.
"Maybe I'll just stick to the standard term, 'Ether'."
"Ether Adamantite," "Ether Silver," "Ether Copper"... Jin felt it was slightly better, but a sense of awkwardness remained.
"Ugh, naming things is such a hassle!"
Still, with his primary concerns resolved, Jin found comfort in the fact that he was finally free to worry about something as trivial as nomenclature.